The Prequel or We Can't Come Up With A Name
by We-Luv-Badgers
Summary: 7th year is hard for everyone, but sometimes something makes one year that much harder.... Set in the Marauders time.
1. Default Chapter

This is a Moony/Darth/Saphire fic. Based off of two fics currently being written by Moony and Saphire (Harry Potter and Scarlet's Walk and The Destiny Foretold), this is a prequel. Placed in the Marauders time. You have been warned… * Manic witch laughter *

* * *

Chapter One: 

Sirius Black was in Transfiguration when it happened. When he noticed her. She was pushing a strand of light brown hair behind her ear with one hand and taking notes with the other. He wondered why he hadn't noticed this quiet, studious girl before.

Amelia felt eyes on her, she stopped twisting her hair around her finger and writing. She looked up and spotted Sirius Black, he winked at her and she turned quickly. She picked up her quill only to have it slip from her fingers. She tossed her hair back and picked up quill and began taking notes.

* * *

~ After Transfiguration ~

Amelia hurried out of the classroom to her next class. James, Sirius and Remus ambled out some time later. "What was with Mellie today?" James asked.

"Huh? Who?" Sirius asked.

"Mellie, you know, brown hair, ink stains on her mouth and hands, aces potions and divination." Sirius gave James a blank look; James nudged him in the ribs. Sirius groaned and rubbed his side.

"Jeez James, couldn't you at least be kind when you're jabbing that skinny elbow into my side?" Remus laughed as both boys then proceeded to belt each other back and forth down the hall. 

"So Sirius…" Remus began. "What do you think of Mellie?"

"Who is this Mellie?" Sirius asked angrily, "You guys keep accusing me of something with this girl and I don't even know who she is."

"The girl you winked at in Transfiguration today." James said. "And we're not accusing you of anything. You're just being paranoid again. Pulled too many pranks on Snape recently have you?"

"Oh… her, Mellie did you say?" Sirius asked, ignoring the comment about Snape. 

"Yes, Mellie Merhings. She and Sibyl Trelawney are friends." Sirius frowned as he pondered this; no one liked the bug girl. (Authors: OH MY ERU!!! Sirius THINK?) 

"Trelawney and Snape deserve each other." He said darkly. James laughed at the peeved look on Sirius' face.

* * *

Mellie walk into the Divination tower. Sibyl came running toward her. "Mel, my Inner Eye was worried that you would be late!" Sibyl said breathlessly. Mellie laughed, Sibyl was a pain in the ass sometimes, but she had a good heart. 

"Sib, I would never be late to Divination, Potions hell yeah, but Divination? Never."

"Lily Evans is saying that Sirius Black was staring at you throughout Transfiguration."

Mellie brushed it off. "He must have been bored with McGonagall."

"Mel, he's awfully adorable." Sibyl winked at her. "If he ever looked my way…"

"Sibyl!"

"Mel, you know it's true. I mean you're so lucky to be in Gryffindor… All those cute boys… That Remus is a bit of a looker as well… Too bad James is taken though."

Mellie gave her a dark look. "I should be in Slytherin, you know what the cards said." _Well,_ she thought, _the cards didn't really say that, but Sib wouldn't know that anyway._

"Fiddlesticks! You're a Gryffindor through and through."

"Girls! You're upsetting the aura of the room. If you cannot get along, I will have to separate you." Both girls looked at each other. Their professor was a crackpot who wanted to seem younger than her near 50 years. Her robes shocked all the girls, and the boys.

"Yes, Ms. Willoweed." Mellie said, and they began to work. Mellie began the reading; she shuffled, then had Sibyl cut the deck. After that was done, Mellie began to lay a Celtic Cross spread. "Sib, think of a question that you're dying to have answered. For yourself." Mellie added when she saw a flash in Sibyl's eyes.

"Mel!"

"Sib!"

"Come on Mel, it'll be fun!"

"You're been burning incense again haven't you?" Mellie accused.

"Yes… I mean, NO, Mel don't you want to know?"

"Know what? That Sirius Black winked at me during Transfiguration?"

"He did WHAT?!?!"

"The point is, I already know all I need or want to know." She continued to lay out the spread of cards, ignoring the gleam in her friend's eyes.

"Merlin Mel, you can be so unbelievably cold sometimes, I mean I really do wonder what goes on in your head. You don't seem to like _anyone_. Not boys. Hell, not even girls. I just… Forget it." Sibyl said suddenly. "Forget I said anything."

"No, what do you mean by cold?"

"You're just…cold. There's no other word for it. It's like you're absolutely perfect, the Ice Princess, you know what I mean. The Snow Queen of Hogwarts, no guy will dare approach you for fear of losing his nether parts."

"Sibyl!"

"Mel, you asked. It's just weird, it's like what you said about Slytherin. You remind me of a Slytherin sometimes… you're so…cold to people."

"_Sib._"

"Mel, yes you joke around with me, but you're altogether closed off when it comes to yourself. You're too _perfect_ Mel; you're the Ice Princess mixed in with Lily Evans' brain. It's terrifying to people, most of the students don't think you have a heart and then they wonder why you're in Gryffindor. I have myself sometimes… And as well as I know you… I know nothing about you. You're my best friend, and I can't even see why the sorting hat put you in Gryffindor."

"Sibyl."

"I'm not finished Mel, I mean, Damn it! You're the smartest witch in our grade, in Hogwarts perhaps. You knew more charms and curses when you were a first year than half the 5th years. At the same time, you let Lily Evans be head girl." Mellie frowned.

"I didn't deserve it, she did." Mellie said lamely. _I just happen to have some skill at magic, why does that make me perfect? How am I an Ice Princess? How? I'm moody and unreliable, and stubborn._

"But, you're the most talented witch to come to Hogwarts in ages… some of the professors say it's been 30 years since there's been such a talented student. And what's more, you know you're the best in Hogwarts, and you don't give a damn." Mellie frowned again.

"Sib, it doesn't matter. It's just talk. Why are you snooping again? I thought I broke you of that habit?" Sibyl smiled sheepishly. 

"Besides." Sibyl continued. "Everyone knows that Sirius Black will do well as a wizard, he's Dumbledore's grandson for all that's holy." Mellie shook her head.

"Sib, I don't care about Sirius Black one way or the other, I just want to be done with Hogwarts already." 

* * *

It was the afternoon meal now. And the Marauders, as they preferred to be known, were sitting down at the Gryffindor table. Remus was chatting with Peter, James and Lily were studying together, their heads bent close together over a large book. Sirius though, he was watching for one Mellie Merhings. He wondered how he'd never noticed her before for about the 20,000 time. 

__

Someone with that kind of single-minded intensity should have been easy to spot. I suspect that the long brown hair and plain brown eyes, coupled with dark Hogwarts robes do nothing to help her appearance. Nor does the overly pale skin, I wonder if she blushes easily. His thoughts ran like on like that until she walked in with Sibyl Trelawney. 

The two girls continued to the Ravenclaw table. _But she wears Gryffindor robes,_ Sirius thought smugly.

"Sirius? Are you staring at Mel again?" Lily asked, nudging him in the ribs. "Answer me damn you." She said laughing.

"What?!?!" There was a look of bewilderment in his deep blue eyes.

"So you were staring at Mel." Lily said, satisfied. 

Sirius looked at her in astonishment. "Who's Mel?" He asked. Lily sighed, _Men…_ she thought. 

"Amelia Merhings, Mellie, Mel, Lia…" she continued.

"Oh. Yeah, I guess…" He said sheepishly.

"If you hurt her…" Lily began. "I'll kill you… No… she'll kill you and make it look like an accident." Sirius gave her a questioning look. "Mel knows more spells than half the professors at this school. She's nice, sweet even."

"But scary." James added, sticking his two cents in for what it was worth.

"So, you two know her?" Sirius asked in a roundabout way.

"Yes, she's a prefect." James said as if that explained the entire world to Sirius.

"What do you know about her?"

"She's from a wizarding background, doesn't talk about her family, knows more spells as Lily said than half the professors, could get better grades than Lils and I if she put any effort into it." James said pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

"What about personally though?"

"She can be very sweet." Lily said.

"When she wants to." James added.

"She's good at Divination and Potions." Lily said helpfully, as if she was trying to give Sirius topics to discuss with Mellie "And Defense for some reason."

"Everyone's good at Defense." Sirius said darkly. _Potions?_ He thought,_ why did it have to be Potions? The one class I can't stand? With slimy git numero uno and all._

"Actually," James began. "She's good at everything."

"She's friends with Trelawney and Snape?" Sirius asked, in shock and quite disturbed.

"Actually, they pretend not to know each other." James said.

"Trelawney and Mellie? Or Snape and Mellie?" Sirius asked, very confused.

"Snape and Mellie. I understand that Advanced Potions is a very interesting class." James said, his brown eyes twinkling. "What I wouldn't give to be a fly that wall." Lily smacked James playfully. 

"We all know your animal tendencies, but a fly?" Lily asked.

"Can you imagine the cat fights over who's better at potions?" James grinned; Lily smacked him in the shoulder. 

"Would you grow up already!" She yelled as she ran off.

James shrugged. "What can I say? I'm irresistible." Sirius grinned evilly.

"Yes, you're soo irresistible James, I want to touch your body." Sirius said seductively. Just then, Mellie happened to be walking by.

"Why James Potter, I didn't that you swung that way. Does Lily know?" She asked seriously and walked away.

"Sweet, Lily said." Sirius said darkly.

"As I said when she wants to." James said lightly. "You're really into her aren't you?" James asked.

"No. I just... just never noticed her before." Sirius said in a defensive tone.

"We have potions next, right?" Remus asked, cutting off James' next comment, saving Sirius from further embarrassment. 

"Yeah." Sirius sighed, looking towards the Slytherin table with hatred in his eyes.

"Hey guys, what do you say we put some excitement in little Sevvy's day?" James asked innocently.

The rest of the marauders looked up at him.

An evil smile crossed all of their faces and they began to devise their evil plan. 

A/N: And that's chapter one. A little funny, a little Mary-suish. Don't worry, that will go away in time, she's supposed to sound like that in the first few chapters, she's a little Hermione isn't she? But with worse grades. LOL. If you get really annoyed with her, just send us a review, cause then we're doing what we're supposed to: make you dislike her immensely. You'll like her in the end we promise. Besides, we're having way more fun with Sirius, James and Remus. We hate Peter. There will be very little Peter in this story.

~ Moony, Darth, and Saphire


	2. chapter two

Chapter two

Mellie walked into potions alone and sat down. She pulled out a notebook and began writing in it. She was alone in the room; even the professor wasn't there yet. Her peace and quiet was ruined when Severus Snape walked in and sat down next to her. They were lab partners by the will of the potions professor, who wasn't even a Master, as Severus aspired to become. They said hello to each other coldly, and she went back to her notebook. Severus opened a potions book. There was really no question as to who was better at potions. He was.

The marauders walked in some time later, laughing noisily. Severus sighed loudly and slammed his book closed. The dirty glare he gave them only made them laugh harder. James pushed Sirius right up to Mellie's seat.

"Ask her out already and quit mooning over it." He commanded and went to sit at the table where the marauders worked during potions. She shuddered to think about what was growing on that table, after years of potions and those boys. 

Sirius swallowed loudly. "James Potter!!!" He shouted and tackled the black-haired boy. Mellie laughed in spite of herself, Severus simply turned back to his book. 

Sirius and James both stood up sometime later and dusted off. Sirius' black hair was tousled and Mellie's fingers itched to straighten the lock of hair. She shook her head and went back to her notebook. _I will not_, she thought, _I will not think about how adorable Sirius looks at this moment. _

The rest of the students started to file in, Lily was among them. She waved a hello to Mellie, who barely noticed so intent was she in her scribbling, and Lily went to speak with James. Sirius walked over to Mellie's table. 

"Funny seeing you here, I thought you took Advanced Potions." He said, playfully grinning.

She put down her quill and pushed a pair of glasses back up her nose. The gesture was not lost on Sirius, who thought it adorable. "I do, but Severus and I have to take this potions class as well. It's in the rules, if you'd only read Hogwarts, A History, you'd know that." She was very serious when she spoke, Sirius noticed. She pushed her glasses up again as they slid down the bridge of her nose. 

They all settled down to work. Half way through the class, James and Sirius began to shout. 

"That's MY scarab beetle eyeball." James shouted. The professor didn't even look up from helping Frank Longbottom, he was so used to their antics. 

"No!" Sirius shouted back. "It rolled onto to my side of the table!" Remus rolled his eyes. 

"Mine."

"Mine!"

"MINE!"

"MINE!!!!!!" Remus stood up, walked over to their table and flicked the eyeball in question. It bounced all over the room, off the ceiling and across most of the tables. It bounced off the back of James' head and smacked Severus right in the center of his forehead.

All was silent. Then laughter slowly started to filter in. James and Sirius stood up and bowed, Severus glared at them. They grinned back. His lab partner gave him a dirty look and smacked him across the back of the head. 

"Merlin Severus, you'd think that they meant to hit you the way you're acting." She said stirring in her own scarab beetle eyes. 

"You don't know them." Severus said venomously. "They'd do anything to embarrass me."

She rolled her eyes. "Get over yourself Severus, I doubt you're that important to them. Besides, " she said tossing her hair over her shoulder before it got into the potion. "They're in my house." She said. "They're Gryffindors, you're just a slimy Slytherin who thinks way too highly of himself."

"Oh and you don't, Miss Perfect?" Severus shot back at her.

"I'm not perfect." She said slowly. "What makes you think I'm perfect?" she was hurt by all of this. First Sib, now Severus. Did everyone have this perception of her? Was she that perfect in their eyes?

Severus continued. "Well for starters, you're too good at magic. All magic, not just certain subjects."

"I'm not good at Herbology." She insisted.

He rolled his eyes. "You still have good marks. Bad for you is good for everyone else."

Mellie rolled her eyes at him and the both went back to making their potion.

A few moments later Sybil walked into the room, note in hand. She walked up to the professor and handed him the piece of paper. Snape and Mellie had finished their potion and Snape was removing it from the fire. James walked by and "accidentally bumped" into Snape causing him to spill it all over himself.

The Marauders doubled over in laughter as Snape started growing spikes all over himself. Mellie delivered a chilling glare in their direction for ruining their potion. Sirius had taken the liberty of adding a special ingredient to Snape's personal stash. Snape was enraged and tried to jump on James. 

James ducked and ran. The professor grabbed Snape by one of his spikes. "You're going to the hospital wing and then I think we need to have a little chat with the headmaster." Professor Frellings led Snape out by his spike. Sybil was still in the room, apparently waiting for a reply.

She then went into a catatonic like state. "The dark is closing in. Beware the dark," was all she said. Remus, being the nice guy he was, ran over to her. He tired to get her to stop shaking. When she came out of her trance Remus was holding her quite closely. "Oh Remus, I've liked you for the longest time." She just started snogging with him right there. Remus didn't pull back. James, Sirius and Mellie all stared in amazement.

Mellie was the first to respond. "Sybil Eleanor Trelawney! What would your mother say!" Sybil and Remus jumped apart. Remus wore a sheepish look and Sybil looked very guilty. Mellie walked forward and grabbed Sybil by the ear. "Ten points from Ravenclaw, I can't believe your behavior!" she pulled Sybil away. "And you Mr. Lupin! Ten points from Gryffindor as well, learn to control yourself!" 

"But… she…" He began, quite confused as to why this little girl was able to take points off.

"I don't care who started it. As a school prefect, it's my responsibility to award or take points based on behavior." The light clicked in Remus' brain, he also finally noticed the prefect badge pinned to her robes. She then dragged Sybil from the room, leaving those still the room to wonder whether they should worry about what had happened.

James and Sirius were arguing about what to do with Remus for about ten minutes before they noticed Mellie had returned and was cleaning her table while shooting icy looks in their direction. Sirius ignored her as best he could and continued to argue with James, until Remus stood up and violently shoved Sirius over to Mellie's table. 

"What does he think gives him the right to act that way." Remus was a little unamused at the situation. "When he's such a wuss, he can't score himself?"

"Exactly." James was staring over at Mellie's table, where Sirius was trying (Unsuccessfully) to help her clean up. "Now shush, I want to watch the show."

"The show?"

James pointed at their bumbling friend. "Duh." He smacked Remus across the back of the head.

"Oh." 

"Uhh… ummm…"

"Yes?" Mellie asked, looking up at Sirius.

"I uh…"

"Yes?" She asked again, amused by the rather large gaps in his speech and the stutter he currently had, which she knew, he normally didn't.

"Uhh… I…." James and Remus rolled their eyes at the pathetic display. Sirius was completely tongue-tied as he tired to wipe up part of the spilled potion. 

"You're missing the potion." Mellie snapped. "If you're going to help, at least manage to wipe the right spot." Sirius flushed, _talk about humorless_, he thought. 

"Well excuse me..." He began, she snatched his hand.

"You're not excused. Like this." She said and placed her hand over his and she showed him through demonstrating what he was doing wrong. "Honestly," she began. "However did you make it through 6 years of potions without being able to wipe up a spill." Sirius flushed again, he began to think he was a little out of his league with this one.

"Most of the potions we've made have had to be cleaned up by the professor." He grinned sheepishly.

She rolled her eyes. "I see, is life a game to you Sirius Black?"

He was flabbergasted. "No." He said slowly. "Life isn't a game to me. Mellie…" He began.

"Yes?" She asked for what seemed like the thousandth time. As he opened his mouth, the bell rang and everyone else raced from the room. "Yes?" she asked again when he smiled blankly at her.

"Ireallylikeyoualot." He said in one breath and raced off.

  



End file.
